


Fragile

by Inspieos



Category: NCIS: New Orleans
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Feels, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-12-23 01:44:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11979471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inspieos/pseuds/Inspieos
Summary: After the interrogation, Meredith is struggling and all alone - or at least, that's what she thinks.





	Fragile

**Author's Note:**

> I'm currently watching the show, and this particular episode just wouldn't let me go. I had to write this. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this little drabble!

She still remembered it vividly to this day, and it had continuously been brought up in the last hour or so.   
  
Her worst nightmare.   
  
The interrogation had been emotionally taxing and downright unpleasant for her, having to bring up everything that had happened on board the Moultrie. Everything including what had happened to her late sister, Emily, and how deeply it’d affected her and, ultimately, her during the mission, even if it was for the briefests of seconds.   
  
Now, afterwards, misery almost completely consumed her, up to the point she felt a little empty. Before entering the squad room through the courtyard, Meredith quickly scanned the room for any trace of her partners, to see if the coast was clear, but Pride and LaSalle were nowhere to be seen. With no one in sight, she exhaled loudly, a sense of relief washing over her. She allowed herself to lower her guard temporarily, her shoulders dropping slightly. She took comfort in being alone right now solely because she didn’t want anyone to see her like this – so defeated, _broken._ She didn’t feel like herself at all. It was as if someone had traded places with her. Someone weaker, more fragile. But it was her nonetheless. And she honestly couldn’t care much, even if she, deep down, actually _did_ need someone to talk to right now, someone she could trust - someone who cared about her.   
  
She wiped her cheeks, which were stained with dried tears, before slowly making her way to her desk. She hoped to get rid of any visible signs of how she truly felt deep inside, just in case. Even if there was nothing she could do about it, about that feeling gnawing at her - about loneliness. Loneliness embraced the pit of her stomach, her muscles there clenched in response. Luckily, she’d managed to hold her head high throughout the case because she couldn’t bear anyone to know (or worse even: pity her) if they’d truly known. They would've been worried about her, and that was the last thing she would've wanted. But she was exhausted. Her body felt heavy, a nuisance. A headache increased in pain with each footstep, throbbing dangerously when she sat down. She just wanted to curl up into a ball and just disappear for a short while. Just until she felt better - until the sorrow she felt would dissipate. But you don’t ever fully recover from these types of things, she already knew that. Still, she liked to trick herself into thinking she could.   
  
It took her a couple of minutes to register the shadow in the corner of her eyes. When she finally did, her heart began to beat frantically and her shoulders automatically straightened. Her mind raced as she tried to come up with a plausible excuse – _any_ excuse. She hesitated briefly, attempting to muster up courage, before directing her eyes at the shadow. However, when her eyes laid on the shadow, on him precisely, her mind went blank. Her eyes widened in both shock and fear, dreading what was going to happen next. Her heart thumped when their gazes locked.  
  
Pride.   
  
He was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed in front of his chest. The loneliness that she had become familiar with over the last couple of years, accompanied by her sorrow, crept up her throat at the sight of him. Tears started to well up in her eyes while kind, warm ones stared back at her, saying nothing just yet. Just watching her, making sure she was okay. And she really tried hard to appear so. She really did. But there was a dangerous lump forming in her throat, the kind that gets you choked up if you're not careful - if you don’t manage to compose yourself. While she fought hard, he still stared at her, intensely, sympathetically, without saying a single word. And all of the sudden, she couldn't handle it. Not anymore - not after all these years, not in front of someone she deeply cared about and who deeply cared about her. Her barriers came crashing down, and the emotions she had previously managed to suppress rose quickly to the surface, and she was overwhelmed by them. Tears started to roll down her cheeks. Instinctively, Pride rushed to her side and pulled her into an embrace. She intuitively buried her face in the crook of his neck, holding onto him tight.   
  
"It's gonna be all right," he whispered into her ear as he held her, a hand placed on the back of her head. "I'm here for ya."


End file.
